APODS – Organization: Part Two by Amanda Cabot

We’re going to wrap up our discussion of Organization this month with advice from two experts as well as my own suggestions for how to keep yourself organized.

We’ll start with Steven Covey, whose The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a classic. When talking about organization, Covey has one simple suggestion:

Substitute weekly organization for daily planning.

This may sound counterintuitive. After all, don’t we need to know what we’re doing each day? Yes, of course, but Covey’s advice allows life to happen. By establishing goals for what you want to accomplish each week, you’re setting yourself up for success, not failure. Why risk the frustration of telling yourself that you absolutely, positively have to finish Task A on Monday and Task B on Tuesday when it’s possible that one of those will take longer than you expected or that what was supposed to be a half-hour trip to the supermarket took far longer, putting you behind schedule?

APODS, Amanda Cabot, organize, succeed, writers
Weekly Organization

Organizing for the week, assuming that that organization includes the transition and unscheduled time that Marilyn Paul recommends, gives you a higher probability of actually meeting your goals.

The advice from our second expert of the month, Brian Tracy, is a corollary to Covey’s. Tracy, who’s the author of Time Power, urges you to:

Work from a prioritized task list.

This may sound like a part of our earlier discussion of priorities, but it never hurts to repeat it. Prioritizing your tasks for the day and the week helps you avoid detours and time-wasters. While it may be tempting to work on a low priority task simply because it’s easy to finish, it’s important – I’d go so far as to say critical – to tackle high priority tasks first.

Prioritized Task List

Listen to the experts. They’ve “been there, done that,” and lived to tell the rest of us what they learned.

I’m not claiming to be an expert, but here are three ways I’ve found to keep myself organized.

  1. Find your own writing space.
APODS, Amanda Cabot, organize, writer, publish
Organize

Whether it’s a separate room or a corner in the basement that you’ve delineated with duct tape on the floor, if you have a specific place to write, you’ll be more productive. It’s also important that family members respect that space and recognize that you’re at work when you’re there.

2. Prepare to write.

There are two aspects to this.

  • First, have all your raw materials ready before you begin. Remember Marilyn Paul’s “have a place for everything and everything in its place”? That’s a quintessential part of organization and a proven way to increase productivity.
  • Second, reread the last scene you wrote or remind yourself of the problem you want to resolve before commuting, exercising, or going to sleep. This allows your subconscious mind to work on it while you’re doing other things and will often result in a solution popping into your brain seemingly unbidden.

3. Don’t leave home without it.

This was the slogan for a major credit card several decades ago, but it also applies to your writing. Take your work with you, literally. Whether it’s a pad and paper or an electronic device, if you’re always prepared to write, you won’t waste time when you’re caught in a traffic jam, when you’re sitting in an airport lounge, or when your lunch date is late. Instead of being frustrated by the delays, you can be productive and work on your book while you wait.

Take your work with you.

These are all part of being organized. They may not be easy initially, but once they become habits, you’ll find that you’re more productive, and that’s an essential part of reaching “The End.”

We’ve reached the end of Organization, but before I end this post, I have one last piece of advice:

Don’t forget that writing is your number one priority.

All the organizational techniques in the world won’t help you finish your book if you don’t believe that and if your day-to-day actions don’t reflect that principle.

(C) 2019 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Tender Hope, the third in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek Trilogy
A Tender Hope, by Amanda Cabot

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter

APODS – Priorities: The Opportunity Cost by Amanda Cabot

This month we’re going to conclude our discussion of priorities by talking about opportunity cost. Are you familiar with the term? The basic concept is that resources, whether time, money, energy, or something else are finite and that the cost of something is not absolute. Rather than measuring dollars or minutes, opportunity cost measures what we give up when we make a choice.

Video Game or T-shirt

Consider a child whose allowance is enough to allow him to buy either the video game he wants or the T-shirt with his favorite sports star’s picture on it. If he chooses the game, he cannot buy the T-shirt. Therefore, the opportunity cost is the T-shirt. When he buys the video game, he’s making the decision that it’s more important to him than the T-shirt.

As writers, we make the same decisions each time we set (or ignore) our priorities. In our case, the precious and finite resource is time.

If you remember one thing from this post, I hope it will be the following:

Time to write is not free.

You might want to print that out and post it everywhere you posted the picture of your goal, because it’s equally important.

The End

In your quest to reach “The End,” you should ask yourself two questions.

(1) How important is writing to me?

(2) What sacrifices am I willing to make?

You can say that writing is important, but as the adage reminds us, actions speak more loudly than words. If you procrastinate, if going to a movie or (shudder) cleaning your house is what you choose to do rather than finish your chapter, you’re demonstrating that writing isn’t as important as you claim it is.

opportunity costs, priorities
Actions Speak Louder than Words

The second question is where opportunity cost becomes critical. I used the word “sacrifices” deliberately, because there will be not simply tradeoffs but true sacrifices if you make writing and reaching “The End” your highest priority. There will be times when you’ll have to turn down an invitation you’d like to accept, simply because you need that time to write. The cost of that invitation is finishing the chapter. Don’t mislead yourself by saying, “just this once won’t matter.” Each choice you make is significant.

As you accept the fact that time is finite and that you will have to make choices about how to spend your time, it’s important to decide what will not get done. I recommend the following three steps.

Review your current time use analysis. Remember how you tracked your time for at least a week and categorized how you were spending it? That analysis is an invaluable resource and a key to establishing priorities.

pain, Natural pain remedies, NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Ecotrin, Bayer, Ecotrin, aspirin, naproxen sodium, and ibuprofen, inflammation, Arnicare
Warning — There May Be Side Effects

Differentiate between urgent and important tasks. If your child has broken her arm, taking her to the doctor is urgent. Doing laundry may be important, but – unlike an urgent task – it can be delayed.

Substitute writing for the least value-added tasks. Did you discover that you spent a lot of time watching television or reading tweets and Facebook posts? While you might consider those important, are they more valuable than writing another chapter? The opportunity cost of the time you spend on them is time you didn’t spend writing.

Establishing and following priorities isn’t easy, but it’s essential if you want to reach “The End.” Each time you make a decision about how to spend your time, consider the opportunity cost. And, one final bit of advice: “No” is an acceptable response when someone asks you to do something that will interfere with your writing time.

(C) 2019 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Tender Hope, the third in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek Trilogy
A Tender Hope, by Amanda Cabot

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Priorities: The Four Ps (Part Three – Plan and Part) by Amanda Cabot

This month we’re going to conclude our discussion of William Bridges’s Four Ps (Purpose, Picture, Plan, and Part) by outlining the way to develop a successful Plan. The final step will be to identify the Parts everyone will play.

In prior months, you developed a Picture of what it is you want to accomplish. Now it’s time to create the Plan. I might have called it the schedule, but that would destroy the symmetry of the Four Ps, so Plan it is. This is where you determine everything that you need to do to reach “The End” and organize it into a logical sequence. That may sound daunting, but it becomes doable if you break everything into small tasks.

Step 1: List everything that needs to be done

Depending on where you already are in the process, creating the task list may be as simple as listing the chapters you need to write. But, if you’re at the very beginning of a story, you may also need to develop your characters’ background stories and research the location or other key elements of the story. And if you’re like me and write multiple drafts, your list of steps will include those multiple drafts as well as a final review.

journey, inspiration, writer, author, published, career, jewelry, retired, teacher, novel, publishing, indie, contests, mistakes, mailing list, gifts, Plantation of White Treasure, Prince of Granola, Be Mine this Christmas Night, Viking Gold, Dare to Believe, Forever Yours this New Year’s Night, Believe in Me this Christmas Morn
Thyme to Write – Make a List
Step 2: Arrange those tasks in logical sequence

After all, you can’t write the second draft until the first one is finished.

Step 3: Estimate how long each of those tasks will require

In this step, we’re talking the amount of effort involved, not the elapsed time. Does it take you sixty hours to write a chapter and thirty hours to complete the second draft? Of course, it varies, but do your best to estimate how much effort is involved in each of the tasks.

Step 4: Divide each task that exceeds 40 hours into sub-tasks of no more than 40 hours

Please note that the forty-hour limit assumes that you devote forty hours each week to writing. If your writing time is longer or shorter, adjust your sub-task effort limit accordingly. Having tasks that require no more than a week to complete is important because it allows you to measure your progress and take corrective actions, if needed, before too much time has elapsed.

schedule, priorities, realistic
Establish a realistic schedule
Step 5: Establish a realistic schedule for completing those tasks

What do I mean by realistic? One that has a high probability of success. That means factoring in life. Even if your normal work week is forty hours, there will be times when you can’t actually work a full forty hours. Recognize that up front and give yourself slack time, ideally on a weekly basis. Remember that your goal is to succeed, not to discourage yourself by falling behind because you developed a schedule that’s impossible to meet.

Once the plan is complete, it’s time to assign Parts. While writing is primarily a solitary occupation, and the majority of the responsibility for getting to “The End” falls on you, others play roles as well. It’s important to recognize those other contributors at the very beginning of the project and to get their buy-in to the schedule so that they’ll be ready to play their parts when needed.

And there you have it: William Bridges’s Four Ps as applied to writers. I hope you’ll come back next month for a discussion of opportunity cost.

(C) 2019 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Tender Hope, the third in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek Trilogy
A Tender Hope, by Amanda Cabot

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Priorities: The Four Ps (Part Two – SMART Goals) by Amanda Cabot

Welcome back. As I promised last month, we’re continuing our discussion of picture, the second of William Bridges’ Four Ps (Purpose, Picture, Plan, and Part), with an explanation of how to make your goals SMART.

SMART, as you undoubtedly guessed, is an acronym. It stands for:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time-Bound.

You need all five characteristics to have meaningful goals. We’ll discuss the reasons why SMART goals are important later, but first let’s look at two examples.

NYT List

A Not-so-Smart Goal
“One of my books will appear on the New York Times bestseller list.” I suspect this is a goal many of you share with me. It’s wonderful to aspire to bestsellerdom, but on closer examination, as a goal, it’s lacking several of the SMART characteristics.

  • Is it specific? Not really. Since I’ve phrased the goal as “one of my books,” it could apply to a book I’ve already written or one that I’ll write twenty years from now.
  • Is it measurable? Yes. It’s simple to determine whether my name appears on the NYT list.
  • Is it attainable? Possibly, but since I have very little control over whether my book reaches enough of the right readers at the right time to catapult it to stardom, I would suggest that it’s not truly attainable.
  • Is it relevant? Absolutely. Since reaching the NYT list would be an important step in my career, this is definitely relevant.
  • Is it time-bound? By that I mean, have I specified the time within which I will reach the goal? No. The goal says nothing about timeframe. As a result, it’s difficult if not virtually impossible to establish a plan to reach it.

While it’s a valid aspiration, this is not a good goal.

A SMARTer Goal

A SMARTer One
“I will write two chapters a week so that I can finish the first draft of Amanda’s Great Adventure no later than November 1, 2019.”

  • Is it specific? Yes. I’ve identified the manuscript by title and have given myself implicit interim deadlines by specifying “two chapters a week.”
  • Is it measurable? Again, yes. Each week I can determine whether or not I’ve met my short-term goals, and on November 1, I’ll know whether I’ve completed the first draft.
  • Is it attainable? For me, yes. I can typically write two chapters a week. However, if this were my first manuscript, it might not be.
  • Is it relevant? Since finishing this particular manuscript is important to me, this is a relevant goal.
  • Is it time-bound? By including the interim target dates as well as the final one, I have made this time-bound.

This goal met all five SMART criteria. That means that I can use it when I develop the plan, which is the next step in the Four Ps.

Amanda Cabot, APODS, time management, calendar, analysis, productive, timer, personality type, use of time, getting to the end, goal, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, priorities, successful people
APODS – Priorities: Getting Started by Amanda Cabot

Now, let’s talk about why SMART goals are important. The reason is that they serve as guideposts, helping us reach success and keeping us from setting ourselves up for failure or frustration.

Using my SMARTer goal example, if I’d set a goal of writing four chapters a week when I knew that that wasn’t attainable, why would I even try? The objective of a SMART goal is to help define the picture, which – as we discussed last month – is one of the critical Four Ps, and to prepare us for the plan.

We’ll conclude our discussion of the Four Ps next month by developing the plan and identifying the parts. In the meantime, I wish you a joyous end to 2018 and a happy, productive beginning to 2019.

We’re looking at picture, the second of William Bridges’ Four Ps (Purpose, Picture, Plan, and Part), with an explanation of how to make your goals SMART.

(C) 2018 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream by Amanda Cabot Cimarron Creek Trilogy

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Priorities: Getting Started by Amanda Cabot

Are you ready to address priorities? They’re the second step in the APODS process and one of the most important, so let’s get started.

In his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, Stephen Covey advises us to “organize and execute around priorities.” While that may sound simple, many of us find it difficult. Why? In order to follow Covey’s advice we need to:

  • Establish those priorities
  • Understand the opportunity cost
  • Accept the fact that we cannot do everything.

Over the next few months, we’ll address each of those points. Today let’s talk about establishing priorities.

Brian Tracy, author of Time Power, points out that behaviors are a matter of choice. What a profound thought! If it’s truly important to us, whenever there’s a choice of how to spend our time, we can choose to write. And if we make that choice consistently over a long enough period, it will become a habit.

Amanda Cabot, APODS, time management, calendar, analysis, productive, timer, personality type, use of time, getting to the end, goal, Cimarron Creek Trilogy, priorities, successful people
Priorities

But, and this is a big but, choice means change, and change is difficult. The good news is, change can be managed. The key to getting to “The End” is to make writing your #1 priority. The question is, how do you do that?

Last month I encouraged you to track your current use of time and then categorize it. Were you surprised by your analysis? What were your biggest time sinks? Which can you eliminate or at least minimize?

If you discovered that you spent a lot of time running errands every day, can you consolidate errands into a single day, freeing up time for writing on the other days?

Did you discover that your writing time was fragmented by phone calls or text messaging? If so, consider establishing office hours when you turn off your phone. Yes, I know that sounds like heresy, but each interruption costs you not only the time you spend on the interruption but also the time it takes to get back to work on your manuscript.

Social Media

Did you find that social media took more time than you thought? While I’m not suggesting you ignore your friends, the reality is that time you spend posting your status and laughing at cute cat videos is time you are not writing. Remember, behaviors are a matter of choice. We all need to choose wisely.

What we also need is to create what I call a “culture of writing.” What that means is that reminders of writing are never far away, so each time you have the opportunity to make a choice between writing and not writing, you choose writing.

cover, reminder, priorities, Amanda Cabot, APODS
Place your cover everywhere.

One way to reinforce the importance of your book is to create a cover for it. It doesn’t have to be an artistic wonder. It could be nothing more than the title and your name. (If you don’t have a title, My #1 New York Times Bestseller might motivate you.) Print out a dozen or so copies and then post them throughout your house and on anything connected to your biggest time sinks. That way, when you go to the refrigerator for a break and a pint of ice cream, you’ll see your cover and be reminded that instead of eating, you ought to be writing. Similarly, if your cover is propped up in front of your TV or taped to the back of your phone, when you’re tempted to watch a show, check messages for the thousandth time today, or search for another funny video, you’ll be reminded that you have a choice.

The key is to remain focused on writing. The reality is, if you don’t make it a very, very, very high priority, you’ll spend your time on other things and will never reach “The End.” You don’t want that, do you?

(C) 2018 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream by Amanda Cabot Cimarron Creek Trilogy

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Analysis: The Three Ps, Part Two by Amanda Cabot

Last month we began our discussion of the three Ps

  • Personality Type
  • Present Use of Time
  • Productive Times

and talked about personality types. This month we’re going to conclude the analysis phase of APODS by looking at time. You’re probably saying, “It’s about time – pun intended,” since one aspect of APODS is time management. But before you can manage time, you need to understand how you’re currently using time and when you’re most productive, which is what we’re going to do this month.

APODS, Amanda Cabot, 3 Ps
Collect Data Using a Calendar

While you may think you know the answer to both questions, I challenge you to spend a week collecting data that will either confirm or refute your opinions. All you need is a simple calendar. You’ll note that this one is divided into half-hour increments and that it covers only the normal working day. You may want to extend this so that it covers all waking time.

Here’s the process:

Set a timer and at the end of each half hour, make a note of what you did for the previous thirty minutes. If you’re tempted to skip this step and simply record your activities at the end of the day, I urge you not to yield to temptation. As someone who used to have to bill her time by half hours, I learned that it’s important – make that essential – to record your time at the end of each half hour. You may think you’ll remember everything you’ve done during the day, but – trust me – you won’t.

If you felt particularly productive during a half hour, highlight it.
At the end of the week, categorize how you spent your time. Suggested categories include but are not limited to writing, work (if you have an outside job), recreation/personal, family, friends, cooking/cleaning/other housework, TV, social media. This becomes key input to our next phase: priorities.

After you’ve characterized your time, note the times that you highlighted as being most productive. Is there a clear pattern?

Do you think you’ll be surprised? You won’t know until you’ve tried it.

And if you’re wondering why we’re doing this, it’s because our goal is to identify the best time to write and ultimately to find a way to write during that time. While it’s easy to say, “I’m a morning person” or “I’m a night person,” the answer is more complex. You need to consider the entire week, since some days may be better for you than others.

We’ve reached the end of the Analysis phase. If we’ve done this well, each of us has a better understanding of who we are, when we’re most likely to do our best writing, and what other activities are keeping us from doing that writing.

Next month we’ll start prioritizing.

(C) 2018 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream by Amanda Cabot Cimarron Creek Trilogy

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Analysis: The Three Ps by Amanda Cabot

As we continue the analysis phase of APODS, we’re going to discuss what I’ve called the three Ps:

  • Personality Type
  • Productive Times
  • Present Use of Tim

This month we’ll address the first one. If that sounds a bit intimidating, don’t worry. The goal is not to change your personality but to understand it, since understanding is the first step toward becoming more productive.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines, why write, dreams, fear, success, rejection, priorities
Personality Types

How many of you have taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment? If you haven’t, I highly recommend that you do so. There are online sites that offer free versions, and while they may not be as complete as the real MBTI, they might give you some important insights into why finishing a book is relatively easy for you or why “The End” seems elusive.

The result of the MBTI assessment is a four-letter personality type. Each of those letters relates to one of four elements and describes your preferences for:
– How you energize yourself (Extraversion or Introversion)
– How you learn about the world (Sensing or iNtuition)
– How you make decisions (Thinking or Feeling)
– Whether you prefer closure or options (Judgment or Perception)

While they’re all important for understanding how you communicate and how you view life, the critical one for getting to “The End” is the final one.
Why? Let’s look at the differences in personalities between those whose preference is J (which stands for Judgment, but not Judgmental) and those who are Ps (Perception).

A person who scored high as a J likes control, structure, and organization. A J wants to make decisions and come to closure. On the other hand, a P is spontaneous and wants to understand rather than control. A P prefers flexibility and is open to new options and gathering more information. While Ps will probably never suffer from writer’s block, they will have more trouble getting to “The End” than a J.

Even if you haven’t taken the MBTI assessment, think about yourself and your approach to writing. Do you find yourself excited and sometimes sidetracked by possible new plot points for your book, or, once you’ve started the book, do you feel compelled to finish it? The answer may help you understand whether you’re a J or a P.

If you’re a J, you may still be challenged to finish a book, but chances are you’ll have an easier time than a P. So, if you’re a P, should you give up writing, knowing it could be difficult to reach “The End”? Absolutely not. As I said at the beginning of this post, the important thing is to recognize your personality type and how it impacts your writing. Strong Ps can – and do – write books. The techniques that we’re going to discuss over the next few months are designed to help everyone, but they’re particularly useful for Ps.

See you next month! And in case you were wondering, I’m an ENTJ with both the N and J being very strong.

(c) 2018 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city.

Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.


Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream
by Amanda Cabot
Cimarron Creek Trilogy

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

APODS – Analysis: Answering the Tough Questions

Welcome back to APODS, one technique for reaching the elusive “The End.” Today we’re going to start our discussion of the analysis phase. As the title line says, this means answering the tough questions. Since I want to keep this relatively simple, I’ve limited myself to three questions that I think every author should answer. The first two help us identify what is special about us and our books; the last identifies barriers to reaching “The End.”

First Question

Why do you write? This first question may sound simple, but answering it may not be. Each of us has a different reason for writing. Some of us write because we need to pay the bills, others because characters have invaded our brains and won’t leave until we tell their stories. Others hear a snippet of conversation and start asking, “What happened next?” There’s no right answer and no wrong one. The key is to identify the reason you write.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines, why write, dreams, fear, success, rejection, priorities
Why do you write?

A corollary to this question is, “Do you want to write, or do you need to write?” This is a variation on the “Is writing what you do or who you are?” question that Francine Mathews posed to attendees at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference. The difference is fundamental. Again, there are no right answers, but I will tell you that if you need to write, if writing is who you are, you’ll find it easier to reach “The End.” Simply put, if you cannot not write, if not writing leaves an empty place inside you, you’ll be more likely to persist even when it’s difficult.

Second Question

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines, why write, dreams, fear, success, rejection, priorities
Why is this the book of your dreams?

On to the next question. Why is this the book of your dreams? Don’t just let the answers bounce through your brain. Take a minute to record them. What makes this book special? What makes you want – or need – to tell this particular story? Why will your life be incomplete if you don’t finish it?

If you can’t answer the question or if your first response doesn’t ring true, I suspect you’ll have trouble finishing the book. Writing is hard work. Don’t ever doubt that. But if this truly is the book of your dreams, you’ll be able to persevere through the difficult times.

Once you’ve answered this question, save your answer. You did put it in writing, didn’t you? If you keyed it into a document, print it out and put it in a place where you’ll be able to retrieve it easily. Why? If you’re like most authors, you’ll find stumbling blocks along the road to “The End.” There will be times when you hate the book or are convinced it’s the worst prose in the English language. (For me, that happens regularly when I reach the middle of the first draft.) This is the time to pull out your answer and remind yourself why this book is special. Trust me, that little piece of paper helps.

Third Question

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines, why write, dreams, fear, success, rejection, priorities
What is keeping you from finishing the book?

Our final question is, What is keeping you from finishing the book? When I’ve asked writers why they have so many unfinished manuscripts, the answers have fallen into four categories:

 

  • Not enough time
  • Conflicting priorities
  • Fear of rejection
  • Fear of success

Starting next month, we’ll focus on the first two. Your assignment in the meantime is to reflect on these three questions. Think – really think – about why writing and this particular book are so important to you. The answers may surprise you.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines
Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

(C) 2018 Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream
by Amanda Cabot
Cimarron Creek Trilogy

Connect with Amanda:
www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

Getting to “The End” with Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines
Amanda Cabot

Welcome Amanda Cabot back to Thyme for Writers with the first in her series on time management and getting to “The End!” Amanda is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Getting to “The End”

Have you ever started a book, filled with enthusiasm and certain that this will become the next #1 New York Times bestseller, but somehow you never finished it?

Have you ever said, “If only I had more time, I’d write a book”?

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines
Thyme for Writers

Have you ever wondered how some writers manage to complete multiple books in a year when you still haven’t finished the book of your heart?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of those questions, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. While these can hardly be classified as the great mysteries of the universe, they are questions that plague many writers.

The good news is that there are solutions to the problem of not reaching the elusive “The End.” The bad news is that the solutions are multi-faceted. While you might believe that a course in time management will solve your problem, it’s only one aspect of the solution and not even the first one to be addressed.

APODS

Over the next five months (maybe more, if I become too long-winded on any of the posts), we’re going to talk about a system I’ve given the acronym APODS. This not-so-catchy name stands for Analysis, Priorities, Organization, Discipline, and Support. (See what I mean about time management being only part of the solution?)

Let’s take a quick look at each of the five subjects.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines
Getting to “The End”

You can’t solve a problem unless you can identify it. Remember the adage about the person whose only tool is a hammer seeing every problem as a nail? You don’t want to be caught in that trap. That’s where Analysis comes into play. It helps you determine why you haven’t finished that book.

Establishing Priorities ensures that you’re working on the right things and that you understand the implications, what some call the opportunity cost, of each decision you make.

Proper Organization helps you make the most of the time you have by using some hints from industry experts.

Discipline could be nicknamed “just do it,” but we’ll talk about techniques that will make just doing it easier.

And finally, you can’t succeed without Support. While you may think of all support as coming from the people around you, we’ll also discuss the internal support process, which is equally critical.

There it is in a nutshell: the APODS technique for finishing your manuscript and living to tell another story.

Have I intrigued you? I hope so, because I’m looking forward to your comments and questions as we journey from those initial moments of wild enthusiasm along the long and sometimes difficult road to “The End.”

(C) 2018 Amanda Cabot

You can find Amanda at:

 

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart
A Borrowed Dream
by Amanda Cabot
Cimarron Creek Trilogy

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

 

Writing – A Multifaceted Business

If writing that book and getting it published were only that easy … . If it was just a matter of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) …, but it’s not. In today’s fast-paced technological society, writing is a multifaceted business.

Thyme for Writers

Since writing is a long, difficult, and solitary road for the most part,

writing, publishing, story, fiction, novel, mistakes, writing mistakes, Thyme for Writers, journey, Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado, agents, editors, craft, skills, writers conference, tools, titles
The Author Toolbox

Thyme for Writers is meant to lighten your load for each facet of writing. It’s purpose is to be:

  • a source of inspiration to writers and readers alike with words of encouragement and uplifting stories that bring a smile to your face; and
  • a go-to resource with helpful hints, tools, and knowledge.
Technology

To help you through the technology behind it all, Candee Fick shared her Author Toolbox. A tool everyone should have on their “shelf.” If you haven’t checked it out yet, it may be “thyme.”

Kathryn Ross, cinnamon, writers, spice, fall recipes, editors, healing, manuscript, When Cinnamon Bark, clove, peppermint, Christmas, Thanksgiving, spice, words, peppermint oil, The Gatekeeper's Key, lemon oil
The Write Spice: Writing Tips for Flavorful Words
by Kathryn Ross

Writing Tips

Kathryn Ross is back with her monthly, The Write Spice – Writing Tips for Flavorful Words. If you haven’t seen her posts yet, wait no further. Each article is just a click away:

When Cinnamon Bark Editors Bite

The Clove Principle: Puncture Your Writing with Warmth

Peppermint Bits — Words Spun, Broken and Sweet

Lemon Oil – Clearing Out for a Clean Start

Chocolate: Are You A Cacao or Cocoa Writer?

Preparing Your Writer’s Garden to Grow: 6 Steps to a Fruitful Manuscript

Balancing Written Words to Taste for Flavorful Influence

Sage Advice When There’s No Thyme to Write

Time Management

Amanda Cabot, time, writing, books, publishing
Time Management

One of the largest stumbling blocks for most people, especially writers, is time management. I am excited to have Amanda Cabot as a monthly guest, the fourth Thursday of each month for her series on time management. She not only teaches workshops on this subject, but her life is a reflection of how well it works as a multi-published author who juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines while building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year.

Legal Pitfalls

writing, publishing, legal iissues,
Writers Beware of the Legal Pitfalls

As a writer, reader, or someone who may have your own website, you are probably following some of the legal issues that hit the news lately — GDPR compliance and trademark issues to name just a couple. To provide some insight on what may be lurking, I will start a monthly series the third Thursday of the month as an educational resource — Writers Beware of the Legal Pitfalls. As with the workshops and university Business Law courses I teach, this series is meant for educational purposes as a general resource ONLY and NOT to provide legal advice. For any legal issues you may have, you will need to speak to your attorney.

I’ll continue to feature other guests on Thyme for Writers… . I hope you enjoy what’s to come!

Is there a particular topic you’d find helpful?

(C) 2018 Karen Van Den Heuvel Fischer